Safety exit latch bolt retainer

ABSTRACT

A safety exit latch bolt retainer comprising a housing, a fallaway latch bolt pivoted in the housing for movement between a retracted position and a projected position wherein it is located for cooperation with a strike member, a retractor guided for reciprocation in the housing, operatively connected to shift the latch bolt between its projected and retracted positions and adapted for connection to a panic bar or the like, a slide guided in the housing for reciprocation alongside the retractor between a retracted position and a projected position for cooperation with such a strike and resiliently biased toward such projection position, and a detent lever pivoted within the housing, having one arm operatively connected to move with the retractor and having another arm positioned to cooperate with the slide to hold the slide against movement toward projected position when the bolt is in projected position and to hold the retractor against bolt-projecting movement when the slide is in projected position, the slide having a camming surface cooperative with such a strike, as a closure on which the housing is mounted moves toward closed position, to shift the slide from projected position to retracted position, to trip the detent lever to release the retractor for movement to shift the bolt to projected position.

United States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,788,687

Zawadzki Jan. 29, 1974 SAFETY EXIT LATCH BOLT RETAINER a fall-away latch bolt pivoted in the housing for move- [75] Inventor: George Z. Zawadzki, Indianapolis, E betwee? afeiracted position and 3 9 [mi sition wherein it is located for cooperation with a strike member, a retractor guided for reciprocation in Assigneei an Duprin, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind. the housing, operatively connected to shift the latch [22] Filed: May 4, 1972 bolt between its projected and retracted positions and adapted for connection to a panic bar or the like, a

[ PP 250,236 slide guided in the housing for reciprocation alongside the retractor between a retracted position and a pro- 52 us. c1. 292/92 J'ected for with 9 a W and 511 1m. 01. E05c 15/02 resiliently biased. Ward Such 'Q 9 and 58 Field of Search 292/92, 240, 241, 222, 223, a f Pwmed within the i havmg 292030437 192 70/92 arm operatively connected to move with the retractor and having another arm positioned to cooperate with [56] References Cited the slidedto hold the;l slid?1 aiailnst movement :ioward pro ecte position w en t e ot is In pro ecte osi- UNITED STATES PATENTS tion and to hold the retractor against bolt-proje ting 1,721,489 7/1929 Prinzler 292/21 movement when the slide is in projected position the 3,563,585 2/l97l Welch 292/92 slide having a camming Surface cooperative i Such a strike, as a closure on which the housing is mounted 3:583:740 6/1971 Armstrong.:::::::...........::::: 292/21 x moves toward Closed position to Shift the Slide from Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hood & Coffey [57] ABSTRACT A safety exit latch bolt retainer comprising a hopsing,

projected position to retracted position, to trip the detent lever to release the retractor for movement to shift the bolt to projected position.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing F igures Pmminm IBM 3788.681

SHEET 1 0F 2 SAFETY EXIT LATCH BOLT RETAINER The present invention relates to a latch bolt retainer primarily designed for use as a component of a safety exit assembly of the rim type, though it will be recognized, as the disclosure proceeds, that the invention might be employed in other environments. A primary object of the invention is to provide a compact, sturdy, simple, inexpensive and efficient assembly including a projectible and retractable latch bolt preferably of the fall-away type, a retractor operatively connected to the latch bolt to move the same, longitudinally slidable in a housing and operatively connected to an actuator bar of a safety exit system, a retainer plate mounted alongside the retractor for reciprocation between a projected position and a retracted position, and detent means pivotally mounted in the housing and operatively associated with the retractor and the retainer plate so that, when the retractor is in bolt-projecting position, the retainer plate will be held affirmatively in retracted position, when the retractor is affirmatively actuated to retract the bolt the retainer plate will be released to move toward its projected position wherein the detent will hold the retractor against boltprojecting movement, and the retainer plate is so proportioned, arranged and designed that, as the closure with which the assembly is associated approaches closed position, the retainer plate will automatically be moved to retracted condition, thereby releasing the retractor for movement in a bolt-projecting direction.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a doorway and door provided with a safety exit mechanism including upper and lower safety exit latch assemblies embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a section similar to FIG. 2 but showing the parts in latch bolt-retracted, retainer plate-projected positions;

FIG. 4 is a section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4, but with the retainer plate in its substantially fully retracted position.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have illustrated a door provided with a safety exit device, indicated generally by the reference numeral 11, and comprising a panic bar or pad 12 largely spanning the width of the door and including mechanism for retracting rods 13 and 14 connected, respectively, to operate an upper latch assembly 15 arranged for cooperation with a strike assembly 16 including a strike roller 17 and adapted to be set into the lintel 18 of the doorway; and a lower, substantially identical latch assembly 19 arranged for cooperation with a similar strike assembly (not shown) in the sill or threshold 20 of the doorway.

In order to cooperate properly with the upper and lower strike assemblies, the latch bolts of these assemblies must, at times, project significantly beyond the upper and lower edges of the door; but it is desirable that such projection shall not continue during times when the door is not fully closed, in order to prevent the latch bolts from interfering with, or scarring, the lintel or the floor adjacent the doorway.

Since the upper and lower latch assemblies 15 and 19 may be substantially identical, only one has been illustrated and will be described in detail.

A housing 21, open at its upper and lower ends, is suitably secured to the door 10 with its upper end flush with the upper end of the door. A stationary pivot pin 22 supported in the housing provides a journal mounting for a fall-away latch bolt 23 which is formed to provide a socket 24 spanned by a pin 25. The pin 25 is operatively received in a hook slot 26 adjacent the upper end of a retractor 27 which is guided in the housing 21 for reciprocation toward and away from the open upper end of the housing 21.

As is most clearly to be seen in FIG. 4, the retractor 27 comprises a first piece 28 and a second piece 29 secured thereto in facing relation. Near their lower ends, the pieces 28 and 29 are bent away from each other, then downwardly as at 30 and 31 and then toward each other to define inturned ends 32, 33. A head 35 is received between the portions 30 and 31 by introducing a stem 36 in the space 34 between the ends 32 and 33. A chuck 37 or other coupling device is carried by the stem 36 to connect thereto the upper end of the actuator rod 13. A nut 40, adjustable on the stem 36, may be turned up near to the ends 32 and 33 to limit reciprocation of the stem 36 relative to the retractor 27.

Near its upper end, the piece 29 has a portion 38 bent outwardly and thus spaced away from the correspond ing section of the piece 28, such space being spanned by a pin 39 for a purpose which will appear.

As suggested above, the mechanism of the present disclosure has been designed primarily for use with a safety exit system which is disclosed in detail in my copending application Ser. No. 250,185, filed concurrently herewith. That mechanism includes spring means yieldably resisting movement of the rods 13 and 14 toward the center of height of the door and blocker means 41 (FIG. 3) which is interposed between the proximal ends of those rods, when the latch bolts are projected, to prevent fall-away of the latch bolts in response to pressure exerted against the inner surface of the door 10. It will be apparent that, when pressure is exerted against the panic bar or pad 12, the blocker means 41 will first be withdrawn from between the proximal ends of the rods 13 and 14 and thereafter the rod 13 will be moved downwardly and the rod 14 will be moved upwardly to retract the retractor 27 and its counterpart of the assembly 19, thereby to move the latch bolt from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3.

Guided for reciprocation in the housing 21 alongside the retractor 27 is a slide or retainer plate 42. A vertically elongated slot 43 accommodates the pivot pin 22 and a bore 44 accommodates a spring 46 which is based upon a stationary anchor pin 45 which reaches into said bore, whereby the slide 42 is resiliently urged upwardly to project through the upper open end of the casing 21. In its fully projected position, the nose 47 of the slide 42 extends above the axis of the strike roller l7, and the slide is formed with a camming surface 48. It will be perceived that, as the opened door approaches closed position, the camming surface 48 will engage the roller 17 whereby the slide will be cammed downwardly until its nose clears the roller 17. Below the surface 48, the rearward edge of the slide 42 is cut away as at 49 to define an outwardly facing step 50, a

contiguous, rearwardly facing surface 51 and a corner 52 defined by the intersection of the surface 51 with the step 50, all for a purpose which will appear.

A stationary pivot pin 53 is supported in the housing 21 upon an axis above any position attainable by the step 50 and more remote from the travel path of the retractor and slide than is the corner 52. A detent lever 54 has one arm 55 journalled on the pin 39 which spans the space between the piece 28 and the outwardly bent portion of the piece 29, spans the piece 28 and a portion of the slide 42 and has its other arm 57 journalled on the stationary pivot pin 53. The arm 57 extends generally downwardly from the pin 53, thus making lever 54 substantially a bell crank lever, while the arm 55 is tethered, through the pin 39 and the elongated slot 56, to move with the retractor 27.

The parts are so proportioned and arranged that, when the bolt 23 is in projected position, the lever arm 57 will rest upon the step 50 to retain the slide 42 in substantially its fully retracted position against the tendency of the spring 46. ln this position of the parts, the bolt will be held against clockwise movement by the interposition of the blocker 41.

lf, now, the pad 12 is pressed, the blocker 41 will be withdrawn and the rod 13 will be drawn downwardly, entraining the retractor 27, to move the bolt 23 in a clockwise direction. This movement of the retractor moves the pin 39 downwardly and turns the lever 54 in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot 53, thereby moving the lever arm 57 toward the right across the surface of the face 50. As the bolt 23 clears the strike roller 17, the nose of the lever arm 57 drops off the corner 52, thus releasing the slide 42 to move upwardly under the tendency of the spring 46. At this moment, the parts are so positioned that the corner 52 will engage the lower one of the teeth 58 on the lever arm 57 to stop the slide 42 in an intermediate, 'raised position in which, however, the tip of the latch bolt 23 is sufficiently retracted so that it will not scar the lintel l8 and the tip of the corresponding latch bolt of the assembly 19 is sufficiently retracted so that it will not scar the adjacent floor surface as the door moves.

Full depression of the bar 12 will continue to rock the lever 54 to permit the slide 42 to move upward far enough for its corner 52 to engage the upper one of the teeth 58.

When the door has been opened sufficiently for the latch bolts to pass their respective strike rollers, the lower end of the lever arm 57 will face, or actually engage, the surface 51 to prevent clockwise movement of the detent lever 54, thus preventing upward movement of the retractor 27; and the assembly will be locked in the condition of FIG. 3.

Now, when the door 10 is allowed to close, the corner of the latch bolt will clear and pass the strike roller 17 and the surface 48 of the slide 42 will engage said roller, whereby the slide 42 will be moved downwardly until the surface 51 of the slide clears the nose of the lever arm 57, whereby the detent 54 will be released to permit the retractor 27 to move upwardly under the influence of the spring (not shown) in the actuator assembly. The nose of the lever arm 57, of course, thus is returned to the position of FIGS. 2 and 5, and the door assumes its normal, latched condition.

I claim as My Invention:

l. A device of the class described comprising a housing open at its opposite ends and adapted to be secured to a closure near a free corner and with one open end near an end of the closure, a fall-away latch bolt pivotally mounted in said housing for movement of a portion of said bolt into and out of said housing through said one end, a latch retractor in said housing, guided for reciprocation toward and away from said one end and operatively connected to move said bolt between projected and retracted positions, said retractor being biased toward bolt-projected position, a retainer plate guided for reciprocation in said housing alongside said retractor and having an end region projectible and retractable through said one end, spring means urging said retainer plate toward projected position, and a latch lever pivoted near the paths of said retractor and plate, said latch lever having a first arm operatively connected to move with said retractor and a second arm cooperative with said retainer plate, when said latch bolt is in retracted position, to prevent movement of said retractor toward bolt-projected position and cooperative with said retainer plate, when said retainer plate is in retracted position, to prevent movement of said retainer plate toward projected position.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said retainer plate is formed to provide a step facing said one housing end and to provide a surface contiguous to said step and facing away from the point of connection of said first lever arm with said retractor, said second lever arm contacting said step when said retainer plate is in retracted position and contacting said contiguous surface when said retractor is in bolt-retracting position.

3. The device of claim 2 in which said step and said contiguous surface meet to define a corner, said lever being a bell crank lever, said second lever arm being formed to define a plurality of teeth and said teeth being selectively engageable with said corner, when said retractor is in bolt-retracting position, to limit projecting movement of said retainer plate and to prevent bolt-projecting movement of said retractor.

4. A device of the class described comprising a housing open at one end, a fall-away latch bolt oscillable about a fixed axis near said housing end between a projected position in which a portion of said bolt extends outwardly through said housing end and a retracted position, a retractor operatively connected to said latch bolt and guided for reciprocation in said housing toward and away from said open end, a slide guided in said housing for reciprocation alongside said actuator between a retracted position and a projected position in which a portion of said slide extends outwardly through said open end, said retractor and said slide being resiliently biased outwardly, said slide providing an outwardly facing step and a contiguous surface facing away from the paths of movement of said retractor and said slide, and a lever oscillable about a fixed pivot transverse to said paths and more remote therefrom than is said surface, said lever having one arm operatively connected to move with said retractor and another arm engageable with said step when said slide is retracted, to hold said slide against outward movement, and engageable with said surface when said slide is probetween a retracted position and a projected position in which a portion of said slide extends outwardly through said open end, said retractor and said slide being resiliently biased outwardly, and detent means in said housing and cooperating with said retractor and said slide to hold said retractor in retracted position only when said slide is in projected position and to hold said slide in retracted position only when said retractor is in projected position. 

1. A device of the class described comprising a housing open at its opposite ends and adapted to be secured to a closure near a free corner and with one open end near an end of the closure, a fall-away latch bolt pivotally mounted in said housing for movement of a portion of said bolt into and out of said housing through said one end, a latch retractor in said housing, guided for reciprocation toward and away from said one end and operatively connected to move said bolt between projected and retracted positions, said retractor being biased toward boltprojected position, a retainer plate guided for reciprocation in said housing alongside said retractor and having an end region projectible and retractable through said one end, spring means urging said retainer plate toward projected position, and a latch lever pivoted near the paths of said retractor and plate, said latch lever having a first arm operatively connected to move with said retractor and a second arm cooperative with said retainer plate, when said latch bolt is in retracted position, to prevent movement of said retractor toward bolt-projected position and cooperative with said retainer plate, when said retainer plate is in retracted position, to prevent movement of said retainer plate toward projected position.
 2. The device of claim 1 in which said retainer plate is formed to provide a step facing said one housing end and to provide a surface contiguous to said step and facing away from the point of connection of said first lever arm with said retractor, said second lever arm contacting said step when said retainer plate is in retracted position and contacting said contiguous surface when said retractor is in bolt-retracting position.
 3. The device of claim 2 in which said step and said contiguous surface meet to define a corner, said lever being a bell crank lever, said second lever arm being formed to define a plurality of teeth and said teeth being selectively engageable with said corner, when said retractor is in bolt-retracting position, to limit projecting movement of said retainer plate and to prevent bolt-projecting movement of said retractor.
 4. A device of the class described comprising a housing open at one end, a fall-away latch bolt oscillable about a fixed axis near said housing end between a projected position in which a portion of said bolt extends outwardly through said housing end and a retracted position, a retractor operatively connected to said latch bolt and guided for reciprocation in said housing toward and away from said open end, a slide guided in said housing for reciprocation alongside said actuator between a retracted position and a projected position in which a portion of said slide extends outwardly through said open end, said retractor and said slide being resiliently biased outwardly, said slide providing an outwardly facing step and a contiguous surface facing away from the paths of movement of said retractor and said slide, and a lever oscillable about a fixed pivot transverse to said paths and more remote therefrom than is said surface, said lever having one arm operatively connected to move with said retractor and another arm engageable with said step when said slide is retracted, to hold said slide against outward movement, and engageable with said surface when said slide is projected, to hold said retractor against outward movement.
 5. A device of the class described comprising a housing open at one end, a fall-away latch bolt oscillable about a fixed axis neAr said housing end between a projected position in which a portion of said bolt extends outwardly through said housing end and a retracted position, a retractor operatively connected to said latch bolt and guided for reciprocation in said housing toward and away from said open end, a slide guided in said housing for reciprocation alongside said actuator between a retracted position and a projected position in which a portion of said slide extends outwardly through said open end, said retractor and said slide being resiliently biased outwardly, and detent means in said housing and cooperating with said retractor and said slide to hold said retractor in retracted position only when said slide is in projected position and to hold said slide in retracted position only when said retractor is in projected position. 